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Research Specialist in Agriculture Waste Management

University of Wisconsin-Platteville

1 Positions

ID: 499083

Posted On 10/09/2024

Job Overview

Position Summary:

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville invites applications for a Research Specialist in the School of Agriculture, Agricultural Waste Management Lab. This position will support on-going and future research projects related to manure and nutrient management, biochar applications in agriculture, and soil health. Ongoing research is supported by the Dairy Innovation Hub in addition to other regional and federal grants.

This position involves a combination of field, laboratory, and office work. As part of the ongoing research, you will help maintain experiments through data collection, organization, and management; assist in the training and supervision of undergraduate research assistants; perform routine maintenance on analytical equipment; produce biochar for ongoing research; and assist with the organization of farm-scale research field studies.

This is a full-time, two-year position with eligibility for benefits and paid leave. This role requires on-site work, typically during standard business hours (e.g., 8 AM to 4 PM or 9 AM to 5 PM), with occasional early mornings, late afternoons, and weekends depending on research needs. Salary for this position is $45,000 per year.

Responsibilities:

  • Conduct research experiments with limited supervision and provide technical support for research projects and/or laboratory analysis under moderate supervision.
  • Perform and supervise undergraduate research assistants in lab or field tests in accordance to established research requirements and specifications.
  • Collection, organize, and review data according to established research requirements and specifications for summarizing results for presentations or reporting.
  • Participate in the development, interpretation, and implementation of research methodology and materials.
  • Review, analyze, and interpret data and/or document results for presentations and/or reporting to internal and external audiences.
  • Operate, inspect, clean, and maintain organization of research equipment and research area. Track inventory levels and place replenishment orders.
  • Assist with literature reviews, data analyses and/or report/manuscript writing.
  • Provide operational guidance on day-to-day activities of unit or program staff and/or student workers.
  • Assist with other Dairy Innovation Hub obligations as assigned. 

What You’ll Need to Succeed:

  • Bachelor's degree in Agricultural Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Agronomy, Soil Science, Agroecology, Environmental Sciences, or a closely related field with an agricultural and/or environmental focus.
  • Demonstrated expertise in research, with a minimum of two years' experience managing relevant projects, including the design and setup of experiments, data collection in both laboratory and field settings, as well as data organization and analysis.
  • Strong enthusiasm for mentoring and working with undergraduate students in a research setting.
  • Highly motivated with excellent organizational skills and the ability to manage a self-directed work schedule.
  • Proficiency in computer usage and writing skills for report writing and data collection from fieldwork.
  • Dependable with the ability to complete tasks efficiently and on time.
  • Must possess a valid U.S. driver's license as offsite fieldwork is frequently required.
  • Ability to lift up to 25 pounds.

Why It’s Great to be a Pioneer:

The School of Agriculture (SOA) is part of the College of Business, Industry, Life Science and Agriculture and has over 550 undergraduate students, and 30 faculty and staff. A 430-acre farm is available for teaching, demonstration, and systems-based research. The SOA offers six majors, such as agricultural education, agribusiness, animal science, ecological restoration and resource management, environmental horticulture, and soil and crop science.
In the School of Agriculture, we value “learning by doing”, engaging students in hands-on projects, undergraduate research projects, and through employment at the campus farm, laboratories, greenhouse and within our student-run businesses. Our soil and crop science graduates enjoy nearly 100% job placement. Our programs offer outstanding leadership and experiential learning opportunities such as service learning, undergraduate student research, faculty-led international study experiences, and internships within agricultural industry and government. We have 25 student organizations and competitive judging teams that will help enrich a student's college experience. We recognize that participation in extra-curricular activities encourages learning beyond the classroom and helps to develop leadership skills, build lasting relationships, and improve students' ability to compete for professional career positions. See: https://www.uwplatt.edu/department/school-agriculture and https://www.uwplatt.edu/department/pioneer-farm

UW-Platteville SOA is also part of the Dairy Innovation Hub, which the state of Wisconsin is supporting to harness research and development at UW-Platteville, UW-River Falls, and UW-Madison campuses to keep Wisconsin's $45.6 billion dairy community at the global forefront in producing nutritious dairy products in an economically, environmentally, and social sustainable manner. 

The Hub has four key priority areas:

  • Stewarding land and water resources
  • Enriching human health and nutrition
  • Ensuring animal health and welfare
  • Growing farm businesses and communities. 

This position would be working with Dr. Sanford in the area of stewarding land and water resources, specifically agricultural waste and nutrient management. The research group has several federal, state, and local grants investigating different manure management and handling systems, and investigating biochar applications in agriculture. This position would allow for a strong understanding of on-farm waste management and soil health, skills in conducting laboratory and field analysis including using instruments such as nutrient discrete analyzer, FTIR gas emission analyzer, gas chromatography, elemental analysis, and more. The research group provides ample opportunities to disseminate results in peer-reviewed and trade journals, as well as to present at professional and outreach conferences.

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville, founded in 1866, offers 47 baccalaureate and 10 master's programs. It possesses institutional strengths in middle level education, engineering, industrial technology, agriculture, criminal justice and business. The campus is located in Southwest Wisconsin's largest and most historic community. The region offers excellent school systems, high quality medical and hospital facilities, outstanding recreational opportunities, and vibrant businesses and industries. UW-Platteville is a cultural and educational center for the Tri-State region of Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin.

Take a virtual tour of our campus!

Application Deadline:

To ensure full consideration applications must be submitted through online applicant portal by October 23, 2024. Applications will be accepted until the position has been filled.

How to Apply:

The following documents are required for applicant consideration:

  • Letter of application addressing all required qualifications
  • A current resume
  • Contact information (name, telephone number, and email address) for 3 professional references.

For questions regarding this position, please contact:

            Dr. Joseph Sanford at sanfordj@uwplatt.edu 

We Support Diversity and Inclusion:

Our mission is to foster a diverse environment that contributes to an inclusive culture and climate by promoting critical discourse and meaningful interactions between all members of our campus community.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville is committed to recruiting, supporting and fostering a diverse, inclusive and civil community of outstanding faculty, staff and students, and is an AA/EEO Employer. A criminal background check is required for employment. Applicants must be legally entitled to work in the U.S. at time of hire.

Employment will require a criminal background check. It will also require you and your references to answer questions regarding sexual violence and sexual harassment.

Primary Contact

164697

Tara Rucker

Human Resources, Human Resources

608-342-1176

Phone

Phone

Phone

Fax

humanresources@uwplatt.edu

Email

True

False

True

Job Details

Categories

Accounting/Auditing
Agricultural
Education
Environmental/Quality Assurance/Safety
Sciences

Location

Platteville, WI

Job Type

Contract

Full/Part

Full Time

Pay/Salary

$45,000 per year

Benefits

Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Life Insurance
Retirement Plan
Paid Vacation
Paid Sick Leave
PTO (Paid Time Off)
Paid Holidays

Qualifications

Education

Bachelors

Experience

2-5 Years

Company ID

1315

Job REQ #

499083

# Positions

1

Start Date

20241009

End Date

20241101

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University of Wisconsin-Platteville

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University of Wisconsin-Platteville

About the Company

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville is one of 13 publicly supported comprehensive universities in the University of Wisconsin System. Founded in 1866, UW-Platteville (UWP) is the oldest public institution in the State of Wisconsin, and is considered one of the safest campuses in the nation. We are proud of our students' contribution to the safety record, their pursuit of academic excellence and the leadership they continually demonstrate throughout the state, region and nation. As our nickname implies, our UW-Platteville "Pioneers" have created the very foundation for which we are known. Our leadership in the Colleges of Business, Industry, Life Science, and Agriculture; Engineering, Mathematics, and Science; and Liberal Arts and Education helps students build on the foundation of strong values, commitment to excellence, leadership for a stronger world and a knowledge of technology which prepares them for life in the 21st century.

We encourage you to visit our World Wide Web home page at http://www.uwplatt.edu/.

Our Mission

The fundamental mission of UW-Platteville and the entire UW System is to serve the people of Wisconsin. This basic goal is expressed in detail in the mission statement adopted in 1988 and revised in 2002. In those statements, UW-Platteville pledges itself to:

1. Enable each student to become broader in perspective, more literate, intellectually more astute, ethically more sensitive and to participate wisely in society as a competent professional and knowledgeable citizen.
2. Provide baccalaureate degree programs which meet primarily regional needs in arts and sciences, teacher education, business and information technology.
3. Provide baccalaureate degree programs and specialized programs in middle school education, engineering, technology management, agriculture and criminal justice which have been identified as institutional areas of emphasis.
4. Provide graduate programs in areas clearly associated with its undergraduate emphases in education, agriculture, technology management, engineering and criminal justice.
5. Provide undergraduate distance learning programs in business administration and graduate online programs in project management, criminal justice and engineering.
6. Provide agricultural systems research programs utilizing the Pioneer Farm in partnership with businesses, universities and agencies.
7. Expect scholarly activity, including applied research, scholarship and creative endeavor, that supports its programs at the baccalaureate degree level, its selected graduate programs and its special mission.
8. Seek to serve the needs of all students and in particular the needs of women, minority, disadvantaged and nontraditional students. Furthermore, the University seeks diversification of the student body, faculty and staff.
9. Serve as an educational, cultural and economic development resource to southwestern Wisconsin.

These statements, along with the UW System and University Cluster mission statements, provide a guide to UW-Platteville in what it attempts and does not attempt to accomplish as an institution of higher education.
Faculty and Academic Staff

The first priorities of UW-Platteville's faculty are teaching and advising. Students benefit from direct contact with faculty; all classes are taught by faculty and academic staff members. The student to instructor ratio is approximately 16 to 1. Of a faculty of 336, approximately 90 percent hold doctorates or terminal degrees. A complete listing of our faculty and academic staff can be found in the back of this catalog.

Students

Students attending UW-Platteville are from all parts of Wisconsin, from surrounding states and from other countries. Approximate undergraduate enrollment for Fall of 2007 was approximately 7,000 students, nearly half of whom live on campus, 99 percent of whom are undergraduate, and just over 90 percent of whom are Wisconsin residents. Students actively participate in the governance process at UW-Platteville, and participate in the more than 170 student organizations. All students also receive a computer account with full electronic mail capability and free unlimited World Wide Web access. They may access this account in any lab, by dialing in with a modem or through a residence hall ResNet connection.

Safety and Health Policy

The University of Wisconsin System is committed to maintaining adequate facilities for a safe and healthy learning environment. The university works with faculty and staff so that they are equipped to educate their students on practices and procedures that ensure compliance with safety laws and regulations in their institutional areas.

Certain courses and research projects require that students work with hazardous materials while engaging in academic studies. Instructors of these courses and research projects must inform and train students on procedures that will maintain the students' personal health and safety and provide them with information on the hazards of specific chemicals that will be used during their course of study. Furthermore, instructors must enforce and follow safety policies. Prior to use of hazardous materials and equipment, students shall review the procedures and information, and discuss any associated concerns with the instructor.

Facilities

UW-Platteville is a modern, 820-acre campus with classrooms and laboratories furnished with state-of-the-art equipment and computers. The university operates over 60 Linux, VAX, Alpha, Windows and Netware servers in its core system to handle electronic mail, Wide Area Network (WAN) and Internet access, student and academic accounts, and administrative computing needs.

The recently expanded Williams Fieldhouse is equipped with a 200-meter track, four basketball courts, six volleyball courts, four doubles and two singles tennis courts, four racquetball courts and 12 badminton courts. A 4,300 square foot strength facility includes free weights, universal machines, aerobic training bikes and stair masters. The Fieldhouse is also home to Pioneer athletic competitions.

Pioneer Farm is a 430-acre systems research and education farm. New facilities include the Agriculture Technology Center, the Living and Learning Center, the Swine Center and the Dairy Center. Additionally, a new greenhouse lab/classroom facility was recently added to the campus. Pioneer Farm is located six miles southwest of campus and features dairy, swine and beef herds. There UWP offers students a variety of learning and work opportunities. As a key component of the Wisconsin Agricultural Stewardship Initiative, Pioneer Farm is engaged in measuring the real environment and economic impacts of different farming practices and in providing opportunities for youth, students, farmers and other citizens to learn about these impacts.

Students manage and operate the television and radio stations on campus, providing programming for on-campus students and local communities. The facilities are among the finest in the state.

The Center for the Arts includes a 565-seat concert hall with excellent acoustics, a 210-flexible seat theater, rehearsal halls, faculty studios and numerous practice rooms. The center is also home of the award-winning Student Activities Board Performing Arts Series and the Heartland Festival.

The new technologically integrated Pioneer Student Center was opened in April 2002. This state of the art structure provides the student population with expanded food services, meeting rooms and study areas. The Pioneer Student Center is nestled between the Karrmann Library, the Williams Fieldhouse, Boebel Hall and Ottensman Hall.

UW-Platteville also has facilities which can transmit or receive full motion or compressed video to or from anywhere in the world. One facility, a permanent distance education classroom in Ottensman Hall, is used primarily by the College of Engineering, Mathematics and Science, and another is used within Pioneer Tower by the College of Business, Industry, Life Science and Agriculture. A third facility is at the Pioneer Farm.

The Platteville Community

The Greater Platteville area, with a population of approximately 25,000 people, is located in scenic southwestern Wisconsin. Platteville and its supporting communities are located 70 miles southwest of Madison, 150 miles west of Milwaukee and 25 miles northeast of Dubuque, Iowa.

The city and the university join together to offer local residents events and activities such as the Heartland Festival, Homecoming, The Annual Pow Wow and the lighting of the "M." More information about these events can be found on UW-Platteville's home page (http://www.uwplatt.edu/). Information about places to stay in Platteville can be found on Platteville's home page (http://www.platteville.com) or by calling the Chamber of Commerce at (608) 348-8888.

History

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville has a long, rich history. It was founded in 1866 as the first state teacher-preparation institution in Wisconsin, then called the Platteville Normal School, and held classes in the former Rountree Hall, located at the corner of Main and Elm Streets. Rountree Hall was actually built 13 years earlier in 1853 to accommodate the rapidly increasing enrollment of the Platteville Academy, founded in 1839 (even before Wisconsin's statehood) by the city's Presbyterian Church.

The university also has roots in the Wisconsin Mining Trade School, established in 1907 to train specialized technicians to work in the mining operations surrounding Platteville. When the Normal School vacated Rountree Hall for its new quarters in Main Hall, the mining school moved in. Classes of civil and mining engineering subjects were added to the school's curriculum, and its name was changed to the Wisconsin Mining School.

One of the university's oldest traditions originated in the year 1936 when the mining school students began work on the "Big M" by placing rocks in a pattern on the southwest slope of the mound located a few miles east of the city. Completed the following year, the "M" measures 214 x 241 feet and consists of some 400 tons of whitewashed stone. The lighting of the "M" is now a tradition at UW-Platteville. The ceremony is held in the fall during homecoming weekend and in the spring after the engineering students' annual "Miner's Ball."

The mining school became the Wisconsin Institute of Technology in 1939 and later merged with the Platteville State Teachers College in 1959 to become the Wisconsin State College and Institute of Technology.

During the 1960s, the college experienced a period of rapid growth resulting in the construction of several new halls. In 1966, its name was changed again to the Wisconsin State University-Platteville. The university and all other public institutions of higher education in Wisconsin merged in 1971 to form the University of Wisconsin System, governed by a single Board of Regents. As a result of the merger, the university experienced its most recent name change to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.

From its small beginning in 1839, the university has grown tremendously. Current enrollment is approximately 7,000, making UW-Platteville large enough to provide diversity, yet small enough to assure its students that they are more than just numbers on a computer printout.

The University Seal and School Colors

The university seal displays two symbols rooted in the school's beginning. The bell reminds us of the Platteville Normal School where it woke the students each morning, calling them to daily assembly, sounded study hours and signaled the day's end. The Normal School bell can still be heard on campus today. The "M" originates from the Wisconsin Mining School and symbolizes the engineering programs and their roots in the mining industry of the Platteville area.

The school colors represent the two academic disciplines which were the foundation of our university: orange symbolizes engineering, and blue symbolizes education.

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